A Confusing Place
by iamarebel
Summary: The gang gets a new friend and she's one hell of a fighter. Can Harry help break down her walls and help her trust people again? And will a new love issue between them?
1. Chapter 1

A Confusing Place

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A twig snapped as she continued through the dark forest. A young girl of only 16 ran for her life. She kept looking behind him, getting more and more terrified. She'd been running for hours and, yet, she wasn't tired. The girl saw a clearing up ahead and sighed in relief. But the relief was drowned out by the barking of the hellhounds. There was light and she finally broke through the tree, falling to the ground as she tripped over some twigs. The hellhounds stopped at the entrance because of some kind of barrier in front of them. They growled at her , not happy that their prey got away.

She sighed as she felt her muscles relax. The hellhounds walked away, still growling. She looked over at the sun that was breaking over the darkness. Than, she heard footsteps behind her. She tensed and turned around slowly. A man in a long robe, with very long silver hair, and half-moon spectacles stood there. She'd never seen someone so calm and serene before. She stood slowly, staring at the man. He had yet to move and simply stared at her. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before he spoke,

"Are you all right, my dear?" She couldn't believe how he seemed so relaxed. Than she shouted,

"No, I'm not all right! I was just running for my life! I can't seem to stop shaking, and I'm starving. So no, I'm not O.K!" The man's blue eyes seemed to twinkle when she finished her rant.

"Come along then, Miss. We have plenty of food here at Hogwarts." He turned and walked toward a huge castle she failed to notice before. She quickly ran after him, knowing it would've been a stupid mistake not to follow. The castle was beautiful and breathtaking. They walked through the two huge double doors and walked down a hallway. Footsteps sounded and she tensed up again. A woman in her nightdress appeared, out of breath.

"Albus, I saw you outside my window. Why are you out this late at- oh." She took notice of her and saw how tense she was. "Where did she come from, Albus?" The old woman asked. Albus looked right at her, the twinkle in his eyes.

"Hush now, Minerva. Right now, this young girl needs some food and some dry clothes. And I think a nice hot bath with help her relax a bit. Come, child." Albus motioned for her follow and left the old woman in the hallway. Even the inside of the castle was beautiful. But the weird thing was that the paintings snored and moved while they slept. Albus led her to a kitchen where small creatures worked on the meals for how many people were there. They bowed to him, like he was some kind of king or lord or whatever.

"Dear friends, you don't have to bow to me. I am your friend. My young friend has come a long way and I would like a plate filled and find some dry clothes for her as well." The creatures instantly began to scurry and get what was needed. Than, he turned toward her.

"I never did introduce myself, did I? My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore. And you are, my dead?" He said in his oh-so polite voice.

"Shel, my name is Shel Mills. What is this place?" Shel asked, sitting on a nearby stool. She had never seen such a place before and that was saying something since she deals with the supernatural almost everyday. The professor seemed to understand and simply smiled.

"This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are safe here, my dear." He said.

'Witchcraft and Wizardry? Wait, magic? Shouldn't I be, like, trying to get out of here right now?' Shel knew that magic was nothing to fool around with, especially with witches. So why wasn't she freaking out as well. Albus seemed to understand and the twinkle seemed to intensify.

"You have nothing to fear my dear. You are safe here at Hogwarts, as well as under my magic. You will not be harmed so long as you are under my care." Those words seemed to pierce her heart and didn't know what to say. No one had ever, ever cared for her or even said things like that to her. It warmed her, even though it came from a complete stranger. It was more care than she ever received in her life.

"Thanks, professor." She said in a really low whisper she barely heard it herself. Dumbledore smiled, the twinkle in his eyes brighter than before. A house elf came over and handed her some clothes and left. Another brought over a plate full of food. It had everything she could possibly imagine. Dumbledore left to let her eat and relax to get something from his office. While he was gone, Shel looked around the kitchen in wonder. It was like a kitchen from the middle ages that the cooks would use to feed their masters and mistresses. Dumbledore came back and when he saw that she was gone, he motioned for her follow him to the bathroom to let her bathe. Shel saw how big the bath was and her eyes bugged out. It was huge! It was big enough to probably fit 20-30 people at the most.

10 minutes later...  
Shel came out of the bathroom, clean and relaxed. Dumbledore was waiting near the kitchen, a bag beside him. It was her bag from her latest hotel.

"How did you know where my stuff was?" She asked, probably knowing the answer to that already.

"Ah, a wizard knows everything if he or she tries enough. Come with me, Ms. Mills. I have a place for you to stay until we can figure out your situation. A place called 12 Grimmauld Place. The Order of the Phoenix will help make your stay more comfortable. Now, hold onto to my arm. I will apparate us there. Us wizards way of traveling these days."

Shel was hesitate at first, but grabbed his arm tightly and at once it felt as thought her insides were coming out of her. A second later, they stood in a dark street in what she recognized as London. Albus tapped his foot and the buildings began to move, though the occupants didn't seem to notice. A moment later, a building stood there and Shel knew that this was 12 Grimmauld Place. Albus motioned for her to follow and follow she did. She went in first and Albus closed the door behind him. The hallway was dark and hard to see until her pupils adjusted to the dark. There was a light at the end and voices came from it, as did the smell of food. even though she had just eaten, she felt that she hadn;t eaten in a week. Albus walked around her and toward the door, telling her to wait there for a moment. He spoke with someone, who had red hair and looked in her direction. Than he smiled and nodded. Albus turned to her, smile on his face and motioned for her to come. Shel walked toward him, all sense of danger seeming to disappear as she neared the room.

Inside the room, 10 people were seated around a very large table. Eight of them had red hair, two had black hair, and the one with the crazy eye had white hair. And they all seemed to enjoy to stare at their new arrival. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and suddenly got really nervous.

Than, the man Albus had spoken to spoke up. "Hello there. My name is Arthur Weasley. This is my wfie, Molly and our children Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. This young man is Harry Potter and the other four are Hermione Granger, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Mad-eye Moody. And you are, my dear?" He said in almost one breath that had Shel gaping at him before snapping out of her stupor. She held out her hand, remembering her manners.

"My name is Shel Mills. Nice to meet you all." Everyone seemed to take a liking to her, even though they'd all just met. Hermione and Ginny took immediate interest in her and began asking questions: where she was from. Her family. Questions that she thought were way too personal. They backed off after seeing her uncomfortable face. Molly showed her the the last room that was left and left to let her feel at home. The room was big and had a nice sized bed. Whatever these people were, she was actually beginning to trust them. She set her bag on the floor next to the bed and sat down. The room really was nice, compared to all the crap hole motels she stayed at. It was definitely much cleaner. Shel kicked off her shoes and fell into a dreamless sleep, one that she hasn't had in awhile...  
TBC.....  
Well, shel's really making an effort to get more comfortable. next chapter will be everyone's opinion of her. R&R!!! :) --{--


	2. Meetings and opinions

I'm on a really good roll right now. I'm on ch.2! I'm so excited. Hope you enjoy  
Also, J.K rowling owns HP not me and not ever, though i could wish.  
Enjoy!! :)

Chapter 2: Meetings and opinions

Harry watched as the girl walked up with to the last spare bedroom in Grimmauld Place. His godfather, Sirius sat across from him, thinking the same thing as he was: 'She looked so very untrusting and suspicious of us.' Harry, for some odd reason wanted to get to know her and know her story. Even just a little bit of it. He turned back to the table and stared at his plate. Ron and Hermione were talking with Ginny about her. Saying stuff like, 'Oh, she looks so nervous. She must've come from the muggle world and didn't know how to act around us.' Yes, stupid crap like that. Sirius was also starting get irritated at the two as well. Could they not see how badly she was hurting? Probably not since they didn't know what it felt like to be lost and alone. Harry stood as did Sirius. With just a nod, godfather and son walked up the stairs to the room their guest was residing in.

Ron was deeply surprised when Dumbledore called in a girl. She was wearing a overly huge hoodie and loose black pants. She had a look on her face that said she wasn't going to trust everyone so easily. Hermione had already talked to, along with Ginny, and got all up into her personal space when clearly she was very uncomfortable. Who could blame her really? he knew that he'd be telling someone that got into his persona life to bugger off.

Hermione knew that the girl the professor brought had a interesting story. She and Ginny, though not intentional, started asking very personal questions, though they didn't know it. Hermione had never be really interested in someone's story before, and this new girl was one she would like to get to know and become friends. But, it seemed the girl had come kind of trust issues. Hermione could see it in her eyes. Maybe once she could trust some of them, maybe they could be good friends.

Ginny was also very interested in the new arrival. She seemed nice, but in her eyes, not very trusting. Ginny didn't mean to get all in face; she really didn't know what had gotten into her. Ginny was always polite and usually never really got into people's personal life unless they needed someone to talk to. This new girl was very intriguing and Ginny wanted to get to know her better and, eventually, become friends.

Harry and Sirius climbed the staircase and walked down the hall toward the last door on the right. This was her room, they both thought. Sirius knocked and they waited.

"Come in." A voice called a moment later. Sirius opened the door and walked in, followed by Harry. He closed the door and looked around the room. It was plain, nothing really different than the other rooms. Shel was sitting on the bed, going through her bags. She had put her hair up, keeping it out of the way as she went through it. Harry, though new to the whole hormone thing and dating, had ever seen someone look so beautiful, even in just plain clothes. She looked up and smiled slightly at the two of them. She set her bags and stood up.

"I'm sorry. I usually forget people's name after awhile. Force of habit. You two are?" She asked.

"No worries. I'm Sirius Black, and this is my godson, Harry Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Mills. I'm sure you had a light journey here?" He said, holding out a hand. Shel shook his than Harry's.

"You could say that. Though I'm from America, I'm pretty much acquainted with all the weird stuff." Shel started to take clothes from her bags and place them in the drawer beside her bed. Harry also noted that most of them were either ripped or torn. Sirius must've notice because both his and Harry's eyes softened. To have to use your clothes over and over clearly told them she really didn't have a home or money for that matter. Though, the clothes had a little fashion to them. She seemed to feel us watching her for she turned around with an uncomfortable look on her face. 'Why are they staring at me? Do I have food on my face? That would be so embarrassing.' Shel gave them a nervous smile, to which they smiled slightly nervous back. There was a knock on the door and came in.

"Oh, Sirius, Harry. I didn't hear you two come upstairs. How are feeling, dear? All right enough to eat?" She asked. Shel shook her head.

"I ate when I was at the school. I'm pretty full, so I'll probably just get some sleep. If you guys don't mind?" She said, looking from Molly to Sirius and Harry. They shook their heads and left the room with Molly at their heels. Shel sighed in pure relief when the door closed and she sat on the bed. These people were really testing her patience and her skills at lying. They also seemed so close with each other, and it made her feel really out of place here. They were all so roomy with each other that she felt she was intruding on the happy family.

She looked at the time and decided to at least get some sleep. Sleep was just what she needed when her head hit the pillow and fell asleep instantly.

The next day...  
Shel woke when the curtains were suddenly pushed aside and she went for a knife under her pillow before she realized where she was. A place in London, full of wizards and witches. She turned and saw a woman with pink hair, looking out at the view.

"Molly told me to come and wake you for breakfast. My name's Tonks. You're name is Shel, right? I thought so since I overheard Arthur talking about you last night. Nothing bad though." Tonks explained after seeing her distressed look. "Come on than. Time for breakfast." Tonks walked out and Shel slowly followed her, sore from sleeping. Everyone was there and eating when they came in. No one seemed to stop eating to acknowledge them and Shel thought that was just fine. She sat by Tonks and smiled in thanks as Molly set a plate of food in front of her. She hesitantly picked up a fork and looked down at the food. They had been good to her so far, so there wasn't any reason for her to think they poisoned it? Was there? Putting on a brave face, Shel took the first bite and was amazed at the sensation that invaded her mouth. This was possibly the most delicious food she'd ever tasted ever! Not even Uncle Bobby's homemade food compared to this. As she ate, Sirius and Harry interacted with her, asking innocent questions about her life. The more they talked with each other, the more it seemed she opened up. Molly noticed this and made a note to herself to remind her to talk to Sirius later about Harry staying close to her.

Harry, since the moment he talked to her, had taken a great deal of interest in their new guest. Even though he knew that she had a lot of walls, he knew that he could at least try to help her and maybe become great friends. She seemed so lost and that reminded him of himself when he was living with the Dursely's up until his first year at Hogwarts. After dinner, when everyone was gone, Molly stopped Shel so she could talk to her.

"Dumbledore told me to tell you that you are invited to stay at Hogwarts until we figure all this out. So tomorrow, you and I are going to Diagon Alley to pick up all of the things you'll be needing. Is that all right, dear?" Molly said in her motherly voice. The girl was so lost that it just broke her heart. It reminded her so much of how Harry used to be before opening up to them. Shel nodded her head and said thanks to Molly before retiring to her room.

She sat on the bed and sighed. These were being so nice that it almost scared her. Never in her whole life has she met people with such kindness in them. Maybe, just maybe she could really start trusting people again.

The next day...  
Shel woke the next day to Molly shaking her to take her to Diagon Alley. She pulled on some jeans and her favorite leather jacket before following Molly out of the house and down the block to the Leaky Cauldron. People greeted her as they passed and toward the back of the pub. Molly took out her wand and touched certain bricks that Shel made sure to remember later and they began to pull apart to reveal Diagon Alley. Witches and Wizards alike walked about, talking and laughing with the others. The first stop they made was at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. The woman smiled in welcome and had Shel follow her to the back to take measures while Molly sat in the waiting room. Madam Malkin was a very charming woman and seemed to take well to Shel. Plus, she didn't ask questions. Once the measurements were done, she said they would be ready before school started again. They thanked her and went to Ollivander's Wand Shop. And like with Harry, it took awhile before they found the right wand for her. When she held the 13th wand she tried, a warm glow seemed to surround her. Ollivander was very pleased with the results.

"Curious, very curious. 10" cherry wood also with a phoenix feather core. You see, miss, our own Mr. Potter has a phoenix feather core and usually is never repeated. This a very special young lady indeed." They paid for the wand and went to the book store and picked out the sixth year books and Molly said that they could teach her what they all knew and let her use the books used for years 1-5. Once that was down, they went to the Owl Emporium. Most of the owls were beautiful, but one particular owl captured her attention. It was a snowy white owl and it looked just like the one that Harry had. Shel knew right than that this was the owl for her. The owl seemed to know what she was thinking for she started to hoot happily, glad that she was being bought. Once they had bought everything, Molly and Shel headed back to 12 Grimmauld house and placed her stuff in her room while she placed Aya on the stand by the window. Yes, she thought as she stared at Aya while she hooted in her cage, I can trust them.  
To Be Continued.....  
Cliffhanger! Now Shel's really trusting them Now, she just needs to get through the school year without trouble. As usual R&R :)!


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